Trap-door for car-vestibule floors.



No.78'7,646. 'PATENTED APR.18,1905. y K. SOHLIEPMANN. I

TRAP DOOR FOR GAR VESTIBULE FLOORS;

AIPLIOATION FILED JAN. 3, 1905.

BX M

TTY's.

*UNITED STATES Patented. April 18, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

KARL SCHLIEPMANN, OF ST. CHARLES, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO ST. LOUIS CARCOMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION.

TRAP-DOOR FOR CAR-VEST'IBULE FLOORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 787,646, dated April18, 1905.

Application filed January 8, 1905. Serial No. 239,524.

To all whmn it may concern.-

full, clear, and exact description,- reference.

being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecification.

My invention relates to trap-doors for closing the nicks in the floorsof railway-cars above the steps leading into the vestibules of the car.

' Figure I is an elevation of the lower portion of a car at the locationof the vestibule entrancesteps,the vestibule-door being shown closed andthe trap-door being in lowered po sition. Fig. II is a similar View toFig. I with the vestibule-door shown open and the trap-door shownraised. Fig. III is an enlarged horizontal section taken on line IIIIII, Fig. I. Fig. IV is an enlarged vertical section illustrating indetail the retaining-latch by which the trap-door is held in closedcondition.

A designates a portion of one of the side walls of a car; B, a portionof one of the vestibule side walls. In the vestibule side wall is adoorway that is controlled by a door C, hinged to one of the door-postsD, as seen atE, Fig. II.

F (see Figs. III and IV) is the vestibulefloor, in which is a nick atthe location of the door C, the floor being rabbeted at G. (See Figs. IIand IV.)

H designates steps suspended from the car at the side of the vestibuleat the location of the nick in the vestibule-floor.

1 designates a trap-door that is swingingly mounted and is adapted to belowered to close the nick in the vestibule-floor at the location of thesteps H when the vestibule-door is closed and raised into verticalposition when the vestibule-door is open.

2 designates bearing-straps secured to the under side of thevestibule-floor at the rear end of the trap-door.

3 is a rock-shaft rotatively mounted in the bearing-straps 2 to turntherein and provided with arms 4, that are bolted or otherwise securedto the trap-door. -The rock-shaft 3 is also provided with a stem 5, towhich is fixed a pull-arm 6.

7 is a pull-rod pivoted to the pull-arm 6 and having mounted thereon aretractile spring 8, the rear end of which is fixed at 9 to saidpullrod. The pull-rod 7 extends longitudinally beneath the trap-doorfrom the rear end of the door to its forward end, and loosely mountedupon the pull-rod near its forward end is a sleeve 10, to which theforward end of the retractile spring 8 is connected.

11 is a yoke to which the sleeve 10 is rockingly connected by pivot pinsor screws 12, so that said sleeve may partake of an oscillat ing motionin said yoke. The yoke 12 has a screw-threaded shank 13, that extends toand through a bracket 14:, mounted beneath one of the timbers of thecar-vestibule, and upon said shank at opposite sides of the bracket arenuts 15, thatprovide for longitudinal adjustment of the yoke and itsshank and the maintenance of'said shank in an adjusted posired tensionin said spring, which is secured in the manner stated, due to theconnection of the spring with the sleeve 10, which is fitted to the yoke11.

16 designates a latch-tongue by which the trap-doorl is retained inlowered position and seated in the rabbet of the vestibule-floor, asseen in Figs. I, III, and IV. This latchtongue is mounted in a box 17,to which its upper end is fixed, while its lower end extends downwardlyto the vestibule floor and is adapted to spring outwardly to engage thetrap-door when lowered. The box 17 is provided with a vertical slot 18.

19 is a slide movably positioned in the box 17 and bearing against thelatch-tongue 16, and 20 is a button projecting from said slide throughthe slot 18 to be engaged by the hand or foot of the operator to movethe slide downwardly and press the latch-tongue rearwardly for thepurpose of releasing its lower end from the trap-door when it is desiredto open said door.

When my trap-door is in closed position and is to be opened, thelatch-tongue 16 is freed from the door by pressing the slide 19downwardly. The retractile spring 8, which is constantly under tension,then by virtue of its tendency to contract acts to move the pullrod 7 ina forward direction and the rod is reciprocated through the sleeve 10,in which it is loosely fitted. As the pull-rod moves forwardly it drawstherewith the pull-arm 6, and as a consequence the rock-shaft 3 isrotated and the trap-door is raised into a vertical position, as seen inFig. 11. When the trapdoor is again closed, the retractile spring isplaced under tension, as before, and it is in condition to actuate theparts the next time that the trap-door is to be opened.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination witha trap-door forcarvestibules, of a rock-shaft to which said door is attached, apull-rod connected to said rockshaft, a sleeve in which said pull-rod isslidably fitted, a spring connecting said pull-rod and said sleeve,means for supporting said sleeve, and means whereby saidsleeve-supporting means is adjusted longitudinally with respect to saidpull-rod, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with a trap-door for carvestibules, of a rock-shaftto which said door is attached, a pull-rod connected to said rockshaft,a sleeve in which said pull-rod is slidably fitted, a spring connectingsaid pull-rod and said sleeve, a yoke in which said sleeve is swinginglymounted, and means for adjusting said yoke longitudinally with respectto said pull-rod, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with a trap car-vestibule door, of spring-controlledmeans for raising said door in elevated position, a latchtongue forengagement with said door to hold it in lowered position, a box in whichsaid tongue is seated and a slide in said box for releasing saidlatch-tongue from said door, substantially as set forth.

KARL SOHLIEPMANN. In presence of H. J. NOGEL, M. H. MURPHY.

